Model Perspective

Jul 7, 2026 · Industry Insights

Why Japan’s Air‑Conditioner Recycling Can’t Bridge Its Rare‑Earth Gap

Japan’s plan to dismantle old air‑conditioners for neodymium magnets, analyzed through quantity, structural, and time‑scale models, shows that the recovered material is too small, the wrong type of rare earths, and delayed by years, making it insufficient to offset China‑driven supply restrictions.